Essentia Health announces full integration of member organizations

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Thirteen thousand healthcare workers across a four-state region are uniting in a common purpose – to revolutionize the process of delivering high-quality, high-value health care in rural communities.

They are all employees of the new Essentia Health, based in Duluth.

Formerly the parent company of four health systems, Essentia Health now brings together 17 hospitals, 62 clinics and 750 physicians into a single organization with a shared set of values.

“This exciting transition will take us from a ‘system of systems’ to one unified organization,” explains Dr. Peter Person, CEO of Essentia Health. “By working together, we can do an even better job providing health care that delivers real value to the families and communities we serve.”

As part of the integration, the organization is unveiling a new logo and tagline: “Here with you.” The goal was to create a powerful symbol of Essentia’s commitment to provide patient- and family-centered care.

“This integration is about much more than sharing a single name. It’s about creating a common culture of personalized care that makes patients feel known and understood,” says Dr. Person. “That individualized care will be backed by all of the resources of Essentia, an organization dedicated to clinical quality, service excellence and safety.”

Full integration will take many months, but the organization already has begun merging operations from purchasing to information services. This work aims to create efficiencies and reduce healthcare costs.

Some changes will take place behind the scenes, as operations are streamlined and healthcare providers from across the region come together to share their expertise. Other changes will be more visible, as member organizations take the name Essentia and leave behind the familiar names of SMDC, Innovis, and Brainerd Lakes. Click to see an interactive map, which lists facilities’ new names.

One key initiative that will directly impact patient care is a move toward a single electronic health record that will follow patients across the system.

Tags: two harbors, business, health